{"id":12096,"date":"2025-06-03T13:09:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T20:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/?p=12096"},"modified":"2025-06-03T13:10:30","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T20:10:30","slug":"short-staffed-cheyenne-national-weather-service-office-ends-24-7-monitoring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/2025\/06\/03\/short-staffed-cheyenne-national-weather-service-office-ends-24-7-monitoring\/","title":{"rendered":"Short-Staffed Cheyenne National Weather Service Office Ends 24\/7 Monitoring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Headline article at bottom) There seems to be some confusion about the Cheyenne NWS office, so I’ll post the article below. There is a new article<\/a> about some positions being hired back, but unsure if Cheyenne’s office will get any. But it’s always good to remember just how dire the national financial situation is as too many people are running around crying that we need to keep spending money on everything. So below notice that our national debt is $323,051 per taxpayer, $107,826 per citizen (points out a lot of deadbeats in our country and consequently some of the biggest voices for unrestrained spending). Also notice that we’re spending over $1 trillion dollars a year to pay interest on this debt, more than what we spend on defense. Consequently, budget deficits are destroying the future of our country, and there isn’t money for everything being we’re nowhere near paying this debt down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/cowboystatedaily.com\/2025\/05\/19\/short-staffed-cheyenne-national-weather-service-office-ends-24-7-monitoring\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
The National Weather Service forecast office in Cheyenne is short staffed and has killed its overnight shift, ending the office’s 24\/7 monitoring. Meteorologist Don Day says that could mean less accurate forecasts and less timely warnings for southeast Wyoming.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

By Ren\u00e9e Jean<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The National Weather Service Office in Cheyenne. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A staffing shortage has forced the National Weather Service\u2019s Forecast Office in Cheyenne to close its offices overnight, raising questions about the accuracy of future weather forecasts and the timeliness of warnings, according to Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The change is a public safety issue, one Day believes should transcend the politics of the moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI understand trying to trim fat, trying to be more efficient,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the thing is, what is the plan? Because there\u2019s going to be weather that happens overnight. The weather never sleeps. It never takes a holiday. It never takes a night off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day said answers to his questions about the overnight closure of the forecast office in Cheyenne have so far been few and far between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t had any communication from them,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That has left Day and others he works with in both aviation and weather forecasting circles guessing about what\u2019s going to happen, and who is going to do what, when.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s actually five separate Weather Service offices that have Wyoming responsibilities for forecasts and warnings,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen it comes to severe weather that happens during the night, when (Cheyenne) is closed, we\u2019re assuming that there\u2019s going to be Forecast Offices around that will take up that responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radar Doesn\u2019t See Everything<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That sounds good on the surface, Day said. But there\u2019s a big problem with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weather forecasting today still requires a large human element in terms of boots on the ground. That\u2019s because radar can\u2019t actually see everything that\u2019s happening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always a blind spot very close to where the radar sits,\u201d Day said. \u201cThe beam has to be pointed up so it can go along the horizon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radar beams generally are tilted up a little to avoid interference from buildings and structures on the ground, and to scan the horizon. That means it often can\u2019t see things happening a few miles from the surface of the earth, particularly if an area lacks overlapping radar beams, which is common in some rural areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, part of weather forecasting requires actual human eyes with boots on the ground to help verify the data that weather Doppler radar is spitting, or in some cases not spitting, out. And the farther away from the actual weather on the ground those humans are, the harder it is for them to accurately assess what is really happening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s also an element of experience required. Knowledge of the local land and geological features is another aspect of accurate forecasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, I\u2019m sitting here in Cheyenne, Wyoming,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd if someone asked me tomorrow to start forecasting the weather for New Orleans, OK, do I have the resources to do that? Yes, but I don\u2019t have the local knowledge. I don\u2019t have that local expertise. So if you\u2019re going to trim back and close these offices, you\u2019re losing that local knowledge of that local weather and the way local weather patterns work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closing forecast offices overnight could lead to shortened timeframes for warnings, Day said, giving people less lead time to respond. If there\u2019s widespread severe weather happening, it could also lead to a situation where personnel are stretched too thin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWeather jobs are already really stressful,\u201d Day said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if people really have an appreciation for that. When they issue a tornado or other type of warning, people\u2019s lives are on the line. So, if you\u2019re making life or death decisions in multiple locations at the same time, that\u2019s taxing for that person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Weather
Weather Ready Nation, with a list of partners, who are striving to build community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather. The wall is inside the National Weather Service’s forecast office in Cheyenne. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Emergency Alert System<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The National Weather Service\u2019s 24-hour forecasting plays a huge role in emergency weather alerts that go out any time of day or night, whenever and wherever people and property might be at risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The data is used by a wide variety of agencies in decision making, including entities like Wyoming Department of Transportation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWYDOT relies on quick, accurate, and localized weather forecasting, and the National Weather Service is one of our partners in providing that information to our employees and the general public,\u201d WYDOT spokesman Doug McGee told Cowboy State Daily. \u201cWe are still working with our partners, including our contracted meteorologist team at Day Weather, to determine the potential impacts of an overnight closure to the Cheyenne NWS office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cowboy State Daily visited the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Cheyenne to ask about the overnight closure and was directed to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\u2019s office of Public Affairs. A representative of that office said they would try to provide a response \u201cby the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That response had not yet been received at 4:40 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riverton Office Still 24\/7<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Laramie County Emergency Manager Jeanine West told Cowboy State Daily that she has been advised that the Cheyenne NWS Forecast Office will be closed from 1-7 a.m. each day, but that the Riverton NWS Office will remain open 24 hours, and will handle any calls made overnight to the Cheyenne office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

West doesn\u2019t believe there will be much difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor large events in Cheyenne and Laramie County, we request ahead of time for a daily forecast, which are sent to us first thing in the morning and throughout the day IF the weather is changing from what was originally predicted,\u201d she said in an email to Cowboy State Daily. \u201cCheyenne NWS will still be providing all services to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She believes fire departments or 911 dispatch contacts will still get the same level of service as before, it will just be coming from the Riverton office between the hours of 1 a.m. to 7 a.m. each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have spoken with Cheyenne NWS leadership, Darren Snively, about these changes and will continue to work with them and advise any problems or concerns that come up from our local responders. Overall, I think we will be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. John Barrasso\u2019s office said it had been told the change is due to a shortage of meteorologists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe National Weather Service has assured our office they will coordinate with surrounding offices to monitor overnight weather conditions for the Cheyenne area and issue warnings if needed,\u201d Barrasso\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Harriet Hageman and Sen. Cynthia Lummis\u2019 offices had not yet responded to Cowboy State Daily\u2019s inquiries at the time this article was posted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The National Weather Service Office in Cheyenne. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

AI Isn\u2019t There Yet<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because weather forecasts are delivered 24-7 over smartphones and computers, Day believes many people think that computers and AI are already managing weather forecasts automatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that\u2019s not actually the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not there yet,\u201d Day said. \u201cWe\u2019re not to the point where that technology, that level of computing power can have the level of accuracy where you remove the human element.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While computers are playing an increasingly important role in weather forecasting, there are a variety of tasks it cannot yet do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRadar can\u2019t see everything,\u201d Day said. \u201cA lot of tornado and severe weather alerts are derived from people observing the weather, not from an AI bot. Then that information is relayed to the weather service, so they can get ground truth verification.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, too, weather is constantly changing. While one minute it might look like a storm is going to miss an area, that can change quickly with shifting wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen your forecasting cycle (for) three quarters of the day is people in Cheyenne and then the other quarter of the day is somebody else in another forecast office somewhere else, there\u2019s going to be continuity problems,\u201d Day said. \u201cThat\u2019s just human nature. You\u2019re going to get someone who is going to interpret the weather differently than somebody else in another forecast office.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day said that, by itself, is concerning, but the thing that bothers him the most is the overall lack of communication from the government to let stakeholders know what\u2019s going on with what he sees as critical national infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of taxpayer money and infrastructure put into place by the federal government to maintain and run the National Weather Service, satellites, radar, having weather forecasters in these offices,\u201d Day said. \u201cThis is a basic government duty. And it\u2019s really disheartening that there doesn\u2019t appear to be a Plan B.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day said he\u2019s hearing much the same from those in aviation circles, who rely on accurate weather forecasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are a lot of pilots, generally, concerned about the quality of the weather forecast information going forward,\u201d Day said. \u201cAnd it appears the government\u2019s not giving us any idea what their plan is. Their plan appears to be, shrink it to the bare minimum without any plan of how are we going to fill the gaps? How are you going to make it better, or, at least, maintain what it is now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The motto on the wall at the Cheyenne National Weather SErvice’s Forecast Office hangs on the wall. It says, “Striving for a positive culture and accurate forecasts while serving our partners and public to mitigate hazardous weather impacts.” (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Quick Solution<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tom Fahy, who is the legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, a union representing employees, believes there is a quick solution to the sudden staffing shortage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That would involve simply rehiring the probationary employees who were summarily fired in the beginning days of the Trump administration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 100 of the 600 individuals who have left the National Weather Service in the last 90 days were probationary employees, Fahy said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt took 15 years for 600 people to leave us before,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd now we have this instant shock to the system. We\u2019ve lost 600 people in 90 days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nationwide, Fahy said 52 of National Weather Service\u2019s 122 Forecast Offices have been forced to close overnight, right as the nation should be focused on tornado season, which runs from March through July. About 1,200 tornadoes hit the U.S. each year, with peak activity in an area known as Tornado Alley. A map shows tornado alley includes a small piece of southeast Wyoming that extends out over Cheyenne, as well as parts of South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Some definitions extend that out to Missouri, Illinois,North Dakota, Arkansas, Montana, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and New Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf weather service staffing levels are not restored, communities across the country will suffer and continue to be needlessly put into harm\u2019s way,\u201d he said. \u201cThe administration and Congress must provide authorization to bring back probationary employees under a special hiring authority. These former Weather Service employees were already trained and prepared to meet the mission to save life and property, and they would be able to contribute immediately to the efficiency of the agency.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Headline article at bottom) There seems to be some confusion about the Cheyenne NWS office, so I’ll post the article below. There is a new article about some positions being hired back, but unsure if Cheyenne’s office will get any. But it’s always good to remember just how dire the national financial situation is as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world","category-wyoming"],"blocksy_meta":[],"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Jason","author_link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/author\/jturning\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12096"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12096\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12099,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12096\/revisions\/12099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}